Changan Auto debuts its smart parking tech in Liangjiang New Area

Car manufacturer Changan Auto in Liangjiang New Area, Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, launched its APA6.0 Remote Smart Parking Tech on March 1, making it the first Chinese automaker to realize this high-level self-driving technology.

Multiple features of the tech were demonstrated at the launch conference by Zhu Huarong, the CEO of Changan Auto.

The demo car successfully completed different parking procedures. The smart tech powered by APA6.0 allows the vehicle to be monitored via a mobile device while on self-parking mode.

APA6.0 is believed to be the first remote auto parking technology that works regardless of the distance between the car and its user. It enables users to park and move their vehicles by phone.

Empty parking spots within a 30-meter radius of the vehicle can be automatically detected by the technology, which is also capable of parking the car when the parking space's width is only 65 centimeters bigger than that of the vehicle.

With 12 ultrasonic radar devices, four 360-degree cameras, five millimeter-wave radars and a front-facing camera, APA6.0 can detect passersby and obstacles and is planned to enable home-zone parking and autonomous valet parking in the future.

Since launching its intelligence strategy in 2018, Changan has developed 213 technologies and seen the mass production of more than 100 technologies such as integrated adapted cruise control. Twenty-one of these technological innovations are the first of their kind domestically.

In the meantime, Changan Auto is partnering with companies such as Bosch, Intel and Baidu for various projects, including visual identification, route planning algorithms, and an autopilot platform.

Changan's Unit-K vehicle embedded with APA6.0 has been available for pre-order since Feb 28 and has seen more than 5,000 orders placed so far.

Over the past few years, Liangjiang New Area has taken steps to transform and upgrade its auto industry to become smarter. It has seen the participation of key players in this area.